


A resounding gong

by Towaristsch_Mauser



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Amputation, Angst, Drama, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 16:36:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5171417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Towaristsch_Mauser/pseuds/Towaristsch_Mauser
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hannibal decided that he had found a soul mate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A resounding gong

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [Медь звенящая](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4323747) by [Towaristsch_Mauser](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Towaristsch_Mauser/pseuds/Towaristsch_Mauser). 



Car wipers swung back and forth over the windshield, and the outward world in a moment became distinct and clear, but the dense veil of rain hid everything in the muddy hollow at once. Clear again - and once again deep meaningless nothing.

Will felt much the same way: short bursts of inspiration, peace and stability. Now he was drowned in the swamp of depression and anxiety. Recent investigations inflated his soul with fear, and Will had absolutely nowhere to go. He parked his car close to Dr. Lecter’s office. Judging from the light in the window, Dr Lecter was still there, despite the late hour. Will couldn’t find strength to drop in without an invitation, but could not leave either and decided to go halfway: he came out of the car and stood in the rain, hoping eventually to see the right track. 

***

‘Understanding the problem you're trying to solve is often the most difficult step because it's easy to focus on the wrong part of the problem, or look at the problem too broadly’ Hannibal said handing him the glass of whiskey.  
Will took a sip and was almost chocked with the heat that engulfed his insides and outside.  
‘Too broadly?’  
‘The first thing you need to do is to reduce it to its simplest and purest form so that you know exactly what you're dealing with’.  
‘Maybe you are right. Maybe it's just because I’m alone. I'm so tired’ Will said suddenly, changing the subject, and the smile faded from his lips. He rubbed his wrist, inadvertently showing A mate-mark. ‘I’m tired of waiting’.  
‘What exactly are you waiting for?’  
‘Like many people I’m waiting for… you know’ Will lowered his gaze ‘One person who can truly open the locks, and so on’   
‘And what do you want to get as a result of this encounter?’  
‘I don’t want to feel bad anymore. I don’t want to be alone’.

Hannibal did not answer immediately, studying his face with contained curiosity.  
‘How do you know, Will?’ he said finally ‘Maybe you’ll never meet your mate. The name destined for you…’   
‘Yeah’ Will smiled wearily ‘For your mate, however, it’ll be a simple task’  
Hannibal smiled, stood up and clenched the back of Will’s chair.  
‘Do you have any idea that your fate can be much closer?’  
‘Did I hear you right? Exactly what you mean?’  
‘I think so’ Hannibal said softly, and Will stood up.  
‘But you're not the person I should be waiting for’ said Will, trying to get a grip on himself.  
‘Do you still believe in this custom?’ Hannibal chuckled ‘one today is worth two tomorrows’.  
‘Can we change our fate?’ Will asked hesitantly, his eyes skimming his face.  
’Yes’ Hannibal said without any doubt in his voice.

Will looked eloquently at his wrist. The watch strap was hiding a mark.  
‘I gave up on the idea of predestination long ago’ Hannibal said gently ‘I don’t want to feel passion for God knows whom. I want to love someone who is near and dear to me’.

Will leaned forward and sighed soundlessly. He felt that Hannibal was wrong, but he could not say exactly what it was. to add to it all, Will was chilled to the marrow and the heat that coming from Hannibal and his fire was so lovely.  
It was such perfect timing to be seduced, to agree with Hannibal. Will closed his eyes still hesitating as he felt a gentle but firm touch. And leaning forward he blindly collided his lips with someone else’s lips, opened his mouth, trying to taste them.

***

Hannibal moved on quickly from words to deeds, as if he wasn’t quite satisfied with little kisses, uncertain touches and gentle caresses. Will was not fully content either, but at the same time he felt just fine fulfilling his simple needs.   
Plain kissing and awkward dates were not enough for Hannibal. He sternly advised that they should remove the name from his wrist, by laser therapy. The longer he insisted on doing it, the more readily Will gave in to his whim, wishing to make Hannibal happy.

However, it did not go as easily as they thought it would be. Will felt searing pain, roasting him slowly, and with each letter gone the fleim of pain grew hotter, hotter, hotter.  
‘Enough!’ Will shouted, losing strength, his body ablaze with pain, bright and alive, no longer muffled and dull, as if finally stripped off its linen. Hannibal caught him, not allowing to fall, pushed him back to the operating table again and Will immediately curled up, rocking to and fro, hugging his crippled hand.

‘Will’ Hannibal soothed, wiping tears from his face.  
‘It hurts!’ Will yelled, and the grimace of despair distorted his features. Moving closer, Will pressed his head into Hannibal’s shoulder, shut his eyes and muttering quietly.  
‘It was a bad idea... No more’  
‘Hush, hush’ Hannibal was cuddling him and threading his fingers through his hair.  
‘I feel like this laser has burnt me from the inside?’ Will whispered, sobbing into his tight embrace ‘My childhood… my life…burnt to the ground!’  
‘Will, I'm here with you’  
‘Yes’ Will smiled convulsively breathing convulsively ‘It was a really bad idea. I hope it will heal soon and the name will be back’  
Hannibal patted him on the shoulder, caressed his hair and smiled coldly.  
‘What now?’ Will looked at him helplessly through a veil of tears ‘You think, the name cannot return? Doctor? Why are you silent?’  
‘Before I take care of you after the procedure, we must bring it to the end’. 

***

The dull coloured spots were looming in sight. Memories flooded out and Will was lost in his mind.  
As hard as it was to believe, Hannibal wasn’t joking. Aware of his pain, seeing his tears, he still continued to do what he planned, without a flinch of doubt. Deaf to his protests, he resumed the procedure, tying Will up and leaving him face to face with his own past.   
Will’s past was an acid-bright spot, spilling around. As if his head had exploded from the inside, splashing everything with his thoughts, fears and feelings.

Will didn’t realize how long he had spent in this state, putting his head’s contents back into his skull. Some thoughts and memories had subtly changed, as like whipped protein, which cannot be forced to return to the previous form. Hannibal was in the reach, affectionate, watchful, ready to selflessly care for him and hug him in the middle of the night. He kissed his sweaty cold forehead, urging him to calm down and believe that there was no reason to be afraid.

***

‘I'm leaving’ Will said after he managed to handle with his fears and nightmares. He had shut his head from the inside without exposing the contents.  
‘I cannot let you do that now’ Hannibal answered exposing regret and putting his hands on Will’s shoulders.  
‘Why?’  
‘Because you are unstable’  
‘I have always been unstable’ Will shrugged, pushing his fingers away from his shoulder. ‘So it's not the reason. Why you don’t want to let me go?’  
‘Because you're my other half’  
‘It is not true. What is the reason, Hannibal?’  
‘I have already mentioned the reason’ he said, moving to the desk, and sighed indifferently.  
‘Because you want to be my partner?’  
Hannibal did not answer.

‘Because if you stay alone, you will feel bad?’ Will grinned. He was absolutely, to the very bottom of the soul, amazed by Hannibal’s deafness to the feelings of other people. Will moved closer and touched Hannibal’s shoulder, feeling the tense muscles tighten.  
‘You are mine’  
‘It is not true. Otherwise I would have worn your name on your arm and you would have mine’ Will frowned ‘Hannibal, whose name you’re wearing?’  
‘Man has makes his own destiny by thinking and acting’  
‘Man is just a slave to his desires’ Will said, screwing up his eyes ‘You have not answered me’  
Without waiting for another change of subject, Will grabbed him by the arm, pushing the watch strap away and froze in shock, touching pristine smooth skin without a single letter.

‘Hannibal, you...’  
‘Now, are you satisfied?’  
‘You are not made for relationships’ Will exhaled ‘You are incapable of them!’  
‘This is not true’  
‘That is so true!’ Will exclaimed, clutching his wrist tightly ‘That’s why your world is empty. No one is destined for you, because you are deaf for people and their sufferings!’  
‘I love you, Will’ Hannibal said in a low and menacing tone, turning to him ‘The silly superstition about the fate can not take away my happiness’.  
Will closed his eyes. “He is defective”, he didn’t say that out loud, but he thought about it. Insensitive and defective specimen. It was so true.  
‘I feel sorry for you’ Will said, unable to hold back the unbidden tears. He caressed Hannibal’s cheek and pressed his fingertips, as if studying the warmth of his skin. Hannibal looked at him with attentive, keen eyes, his glance at once predatory and painfully dependent.

Nature removed him from other people, deprived him of love, but Hannibal didn’t care. He considered himself a being above fate and nature.

‘I love you’ Hannibal repeated hoarsely, as if he was hoping that Will just hadn’t heard or hadn’t understood.  
‘I'm sorry’ Will quietly gasped and lowered his eyes down to hide his confusion. He was trying to find a way to ease too harsh a pain he felt so vividly.  
‘You'll write your name on my wrist’ Hannibal decided, hugging his shoulders. ‘You will be mine, and I'm yours’  
‘Never’  
Hannibal stared at him.  
‘No, Hannibal!’ Will exclaimed, pushing him away ‘No always means no!’  
‘Not always’  
‘For now this is a definite no!’  
Will turned away from him. The idea of having Hannibal’s mark on his wrist was terrifying; it was rushing through his veins like ptomaine toxin. Hannibal understood nothing of love.

‘Will, you’ll have to agree’ Hannibal said with a quiet warning and tilted will’s chin up with his fingers to look into his eyes.  
‘No. Never. It is unnatural. You are not supposed to have a partner’  
‘You’ll be my partner’ Hannibal was hard to stop. Will was totally exhausted and extremely tired. He just looked at Hannibal and walked away.

***

‘Where are we going?’ Will asked again solemnly, noticing hazard lights in a remote black darkness of the deserted road. Light rain sprinkled the windshield scattering droplets.

Hannibal silently parked his car on the side of the road.  
‘Where are you going?’  
‘I need to get the meat’ Hannibal said. He locked the door before Will could reply.

The driver, a short middle-aged man, asked Hannibal about something. Will leaned forward and tried to draw his attention, to inform about the danger, but it was too late, Hannibal approached man closely. 

In the bright artificial light fast movements has been seemed theatrical and unrealistic. Will froze, unable to believe, and only a quiet, muffled moan convinced him that everything was real. Hannibal even moved a little, letting Will watch. The rain washed the blood out into the ground.

‘No!’ Will exclaimed panting, palmed the windshield full force, but with no use. He started looking for a gun or another weapon, but there was nothing suitable in the vicinity. Will heard outside a faint moan outside, and those moans grew fainter and fainter till they ceased. It wasn’t quite hard to imagine what was going on.

Hannibal chopped his victim up like a piece of flesh, cutting his lungs alive, that was what was going on.  
Will lay down on the seat and broke the side window with his feet, short fragments came down like an avalanche. A cold wet wind licked Will’s face, and he wriggled through the window gap as if hatched from the shell which was impossible to climb back into.

Hannibal had finished moving the trophies to the container, while the man was still rattling in agony. Will had no idea how he could still be alive. He rushed up to him, didn’t find a pulse, yet wheezes and moans were buzzing in his mind.  
‘Wait. Just wait a minute’ He muttered, trying to do anything other than pointless attempts, but it was impossible to help the victim breathe with no-longer-existing lungs, and Will suddenly felt a lack of oxygen in his own chest. Panting, he turned sharply to the Hannibal, ready to force an answer out of him, but the latter just smiled, removing the syringe. Forced fatigue flowed over Will’s shoulders starting from his neck. Hazard lights floated away and persistent rain drummed on his cheek, demanding to get up and deal with Hannibal. Will braced himself and stood up, but then the lights flashed out, and the outside world drowned in the merciless shine.

***

‘Oh’ Hannibal said with evident pleasure smoothing the glistening scar tissue with his fingers. It was light, a little paler than skin. ‘It looks as good as possible’  
‘I'm not going to wear it’ Will blinked, jerked his hand away. He rolled the sleeves down and buttoned his shirt collar. Hannibal followed his gesture with his eyes and slightly bowed his head to his shoulder. His lips twisted downwards at the corners.

***

The Japanese method of tattooing was time-consuming, but Hannibal generously spend spent his time on something that was really dear to his heart. He carefully and methodically beat his name on Will’s wrist, occasionally wiping the evil sweat off Will’s forehead, as if caring for a tree that was uprooted and transplanted to a new location. Will remained silent, clenching his teeth, and this silence was hard for him. His head thrown back, he kept swallowing tears. Not because of the pain what could be endured. What was happening inside was much more painful.

Broken red skin, carefully oiled with thick cream, seemed unbearably ugly. So ugly was the elegant "Hannibal", adorning the wrist. Will looked at the mark with hatred in his eyes, the skin itched and ached, everything itched, even his brains from the inside. The alien, inappropriate name looked like the jaws of a trap.  
It was useless to nibble the trap. He can only break his teeth off.  
But if it was impossible to get rid of the trap, he could settle with his hand.

The machine hummed and vibrated softly, and Will, relying on the received anesthetics, approached the bandsaw.  
Silent, deafening pain shot up, as though he was doused with gasoline and put on fire. Warm blood and bone chips flew in the face. Passing out from pain saved his life.

***

The alien name associated with destiny, throbbing through veins and burning like acid, trod again on the skin, and the phantom pain pulsed in his non-existent wrist. The flesh below the elbow had been was wrapped around the stump of the hand, skin carefully, neatly stitched.

Stairs leading below were steep, and the arrythmical sound of his heart pumping blood, poisoned with drugs, overwhelmed him. Will tried to grab the railing, forgetting that his right hand fingers are gone.

Will regained consciousness almost immediately, nonetheless he lay there just gazing at the ceiling, unable to find the reason to get on his feet.

***

‘Good morning’ said Hannibal, when Will had finally entered the kitchen. He looked at the dark shadows beneath Will’s eyes and gently wrapped his arm around his shoulders pulling him closer.   
‘Stay away from me’ Will gasped in disgust, pushing him away. a trickle of dark blood under his nose had dried to a sharp crust. Will went to the window, staring at the tiny rainbow, arching in the garden after watering.  
‘Wait’ smiled Hannibal, drew a silk handkerchief from his pocket and, having moistened it with water, wiped the dried blood.  
‘What's next?’ Will asked with hostility and turned away from him once again.  
‘Preparations for dinner’ Hannibal pointed to the countertop. Without a spark of interest, Will moved close and looked at the hand, half-drowned in a transparent marinade. A slice of lemon stuck to the wrist, half-covering a jet black inscription.  
"Hannibal"

Will froze. He knew he would see something like that, but at the same time stunning confusion and weakness were spreading down his body.

‘What will you put in the fingers?’ he asked hoarsely, feeling sick, ready to vomit. His body had soaked with bothering smell of salt and pickle.  
‘Good question’ smiled Hannibal kissing Will from behind ‘I think it should be something special’  
‘What about your heart?’  
Hannibal chuckled again, pressed his lips to his ear, and whispered something sweet.  
‘Whatever. I don’t want rotten meat’ Will blinked, moving away from his side to keep him at a distance of a table. He held out his left hand and wiggled his fingers before his eyes.  
‘Why don’t you cut this one as well?’  
His mouth suddenly went dry to the bone, because for a moment it seemed that pepper and mint stuck to the nails of his left hand. Will had an urge to wash it away, immediately.  
‘It wasn’t my choice’ said Hannibal, staring into his eyes.  
‘Oh yeah. If you rewrite your name on my remaining wrist, i will have no choice’ he chuckled involuntarily, stepping back into a corner, as Hannibal came close.  
‘It depends’ Hannibal said in a clear and distinct manner ‘The mark would look good on your neck, wouldn’t it?”


End file.
